Temp Sender Units

[autocat21]

Anybody know wether the standard Blue Motor Commodore Temp sender unit reads true when hooked up to a standard Beddie Temp gauge?
If it reads correctly I might have a problem with it getting hot if that's the case as the gauge reads hot within a few seconds of Idling.
The Radiator does get hot to touch but how hot is to hot when touching ( How long is a piece of string? ).

[BusyKiwi]

I had a similar problem and it ended up being the voltage stabilizer (behind the dash), looks like a flasher unit but it rectangle, has 3 prongs - postive, gauges and earth.

If it is this you should be having problems with your fuel gauge too, as they are connected.

[autocat21]

Thanks for that,I thought that it might have been that Rectangular thingy.
The Fuel gauge reads what ever it likes, you couldn't trust it as you would have a half a tank one minute then just about empty the next then five minutes later virtually a full tank.

[Bas NZ]

If you get a full tank of gas without doing anything, thats great I would'nt touch it !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[BusyKiwi]

this is what the voltage stabilizer looks like, was meant to post it in the other thread but forgotten which one it was.

[ben]

ah ive seen that many times.. thought it was a relay..

[Rogue Trooper]

I had a similar problem and it ended up being the voltage stabilizer (behind the dash), looks like a flasher unit but it rectangle, has 3 prongs - postive, gauges and earth.

If it is this you should be having problems with your fuel gauge too, as they are connected.

Aha, so it was that in the end. Not a case of too much resistance in the circuit but not enough voltage.

[Marky]

ive found the lil square thing

been having similar probs with fuel guage

...could this be the stabiliser..bmine only has 2 prongs on it not 3?

[BusyKiwi]

Aha, so it was that in the end. Not a case of too much resistance in the circuit but not enough voltage.

Not quite, the voltage stabilizer pulsates at 10v (or says in the book), mine was only working at 6v (correctly - any higher or lower it wouldn't work).
To fix my fuel gauge problem I found another CF tank sender unit which had the arm on the outside, not in the middle like the original one and i bent the arm backwards (so what was up is now down, and down is up), this fixed the fuel gauge problem always going to full (which was really empty), the voltage stabilizer change just fixed the temp gauge work within the gauges limits instead of thermostat opening in the red section of the gauge, it now opens about 1/3 way up.
I've learnt my lesson from this, if I ever take another dash out of a van am going to take sender units with it. Then again I have no way of knowing if the donor van one was working. I wish I had taken the sender unit out too

[silverado]

As an auto sparky my advise would be just to go to replacment aftermarket gauges.

The voltage stabilised units are using very very old technoligy and will always be unreliable, if your running something later model for an engine, holden, V8 etc then you want it right.

Remember these later engines are tempreture critical, alloy heads, manufolds and injctors dont like excess heat.
The number 1 biggest killer of an automatic transmissions is Heat.

Dont take the risk, even the $30 Trisco mech temp gauge from repco is very reliable compared to the old Beddy units.
A little inaccuracy in your fuel gauge you can live with, but I wouldnt stand for it in a temp or oil gauge.

If your the least bit in doubt toss it out.

About two weeks ago I had the boys at Robbinsons Instruments in Auckland make me up a classic looking oil pressure gauge, black face, white lettering, chrome bezzle, for a job I was doing on a Bedford Bus motorhome.
Came complete with a calibrated sender and the whole lot only cost $110.00, thats pretty bloody good when compared to what the auto parts shops are charging for these over the top, boy racer, jap made, mass produced clip on gauges.

Rusty